Illumi had no reason to say no to Xiang Nan.

He already knew part of the truth about the multiverse, thanks to Hisoka—who, of course, couldn't help but show off.

This time, even though Xiang Nan wasn't offering any payment, the reward was more than worth it from Illumi's point of view.

And the reason there was no payment? The job wasn't something Illumi could pull off solo—he'd need help from his family.

But just because they were family didn't mean it was free. Illumi would still have to pay them full price, which meant he'd be spending his own money to help Xiang Nan.

Still, he didn't think too hard about it. He agreed.

Consider it mutual cooperation between two people who don't mind bending the rules.

As soon as Xiang Nan got back to Yorknew City, he sent a report straight to the Hunter Association.

The subject? Just one name: Vice Chairman Pariston Hill.

Within a few hours, his phone rang.

The caller? Cheadle Yorkshire, the Zodiac Dog.

"Xiang Nan. Is what you're accusing Pariston of true?"

Her voice was serious.

"The Hunters who tried to kill me? They all had direct contact with Pariston before they came after me. They admitted it themselves. I know it's been a while, but I assume the Association looked into their sudden disappearance, right?"

Xiang Nan spoke calmly.

"Accusing the Vice Chairman isn't something you do lightly,"

Cheadle warned.

"If this is just speculation, I strongly suggest you let it go—unless you've got solid proof."

"Look, if Pariston's really clean, then he shouldn't have any problem clearing his name. I'm sure the Association has ways to get the truth out of him. Those guys found out about me through him. That's what led to the hit. From my perspective, it's hard not to be suspicious. Did he leak my intel on purpose? Or was he just helping them?"

Xiang Nan twirled his juice and smiled as he spoke.

"Xiang Nan… you don't understand how Pariston operates. If you push this and insist the Council investigate, sure—that's your right. And we'll take it seriously. But if this goes sideways… you realize what kind of mess you're stepping into? Maybe you think this was all just a misunderstanding, but don't forget—you killed Association members. Pariston will use that against you. According to the Ten Hunter Laws—"

"Even under the Ten Laws, I'm the victim,"

Xiang Nan cut in.

"They tried to kill me. I defended myself. That's not against the rules."

"I get it," Cheadle sighed,

"But Pariston doesn't play fair. He can twist it however he wants. There's a lot of room for him to manipulate this."

She paused.

"I haven't told the Chairman about any of this yet. The Executive Committee will give you an official response. But if you're planning to go after Pariston, don't do it like this."

Xiang Nan understood what she meant.

Filing a formal complaint was… childish.

It wasn't going to hurt Pariston at all. Worse, it might even backfire and cause trouble for him instead.

From Cheadle's perspective, Xiang Nan had just joined the Association. He didn't really know what kind of person Pariston was.

But still—she believed him.

Because knowing Pariston's twisted sense of humor, it wasn't hard to imagine he would mess with someone like Xiang Nan just for fun.

In fact, when Xiang Nan took the Hunter Exam, the Association had already started keeping an eye on him.

Especially the Zodiacs—they knew exactly who he was and where he came from.

"Thanks for the warning," Xiang Nan said casually.

"But I'm not the type to let something like this slide."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright… expect to hear from the Council soon."

Seeing she couldn't change his mind, Cheadle didn't press further. She ended the call.

In his hotel room, Xiang Nan stood by the window, took a slow sip of juice, and smirked.

"You like games, right? Then let's get started…"

The Association didn't waste time. Two days later, a group from the Executive Council arrived in Yorknew.

The group included Zodiacs Cheadle (Dog) and Mizaistom Nana (Ox), along with other senior officials.

And of course—Pariston Hill.

After all, he was the one being accused. He had to face Xiang Nan directly.

"Can't believe the Chairman's taking this so seriously…"

One of the staff whispered to Cheadle in surprise.

Technically, Xiang Nan should've gone to headquarters for the investigation.

But he'd cited personal reasons and asked the Association to send someone to Yorknew instead.

The Chairman had been fully briefed—and approved the arrangement, putting Cheadle in charge and ordering Pariston to cooperate.

When the Chairman speaks, even Pariston can't refuse.

"Well, he is the first person to ever file a complaint against Pariston…"

Cheadle muttered with thinly veiled disgust, glaring at the ever‑smiling Vice Chairman trailing behind.

This was the first formal complaint against a Vice Chairman in Association history.

As a Zodiac, Cheadle understood the Chairman well.

Xiang Nan had gone through proper channels, followed Association procedure. Four Hunters were dead. His life had been targeted. From a victim's standpoint, the complaint was legit. No matter what, the Association had to take it seriously.

And the Chairman's thoughts?

Simple.

The old man wanted to watch them fight.

So he'd pressed "play" on the whole thing.

Xiang Nan had chosen to play this smart—using the Association's rules to invite Pariston to a proper face-off.

If word got out that the Vice Chairman had been targeting a new Hunter, the backlash would be brutal.

And Cheadle could tell—Xiang Nan was using Chairman Netero a bit. Because as long as the old man was involved, this would have to be taken seriously. Xiang Nan had fully leveraged the Chairman's love of drama.

"Beautiful view, don't you think?"

Pariston was standing by the window, taking in Yorknew's skyline with a smile so innocent it made you want to punch him.

He didn't look like a man facing an investigation.

He looked like a tourist.

That attitude? It pissed Cheadle off.

As the neutral party, she was supposed to be unbiased. But honestly? She believed Xiang Nan.

Which meant Pariston definitely did something.

She didn't know Xiang Nan that well, but she did know Pariston.

He was the one who started this mess.

And the way he stood there smiling, acting like he had nothing to be ashamed of?

Absolutely infuriating.